Electric fan

ABSTRACT

An electric fan comprises a motor, a plurality of blades, a shroud and a control unit, wherein the motor is fixedly mounted to a rear net of the shroud; the blades are mounted inside the shroud, and are fixedly connected with the motor; the control unit comprises a capacitor, a switch and a power line; and the capacitor, the switch and the power line are electrically connected with the motor respectively. The control unit and the motor are connected integrally. The electric fan adopts a design of integrating the control unit and the motor, so that installation is simpler, and assembly efficiency is improved; and the fan is more compact in structure, and the space is saved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electric fan.

BACKGROUND

An electric fan is a household electric appliance accelerating air circulation through driving blades to rotate with a motor, is mainly used for cooling, clearing summer-heat and circulating air, and is widely applied to locations of homes, offices, stores, hospitals, hotels, etc. The electric fan is mainly composed of a fan head, a plurality of fan blades, a shroud, a support bracket, a control unit, etc. The fan head comprises a motor, front and rear end caps, an oscillating air-supplying mechanism, etc.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 1 is a structure diagram of an electric fan of the prior art, and FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of a control unit of the electric fan shown in FIG. 1. The electric fan of the prior art comprises a motor 11, blades 12, a shroud 13 and a control unit 14. The motor 11 is fixedly mounted at the outer side of a rear net of the shroud 13. The blades 12 are mounted inside the shroud 13, and the blades 12 are fixedly connected with the motor 11 and driven by the motor 11 to rotate. The control unit 14 comprises a control box 141, a capacitor 142, a switch 143 and a power line 144. The control box 141 is fixedly mounted at the outer side of the rear net of the shroud 13. The capacitor 142 and the switch 143 are both mounted in the control box 141. The output terminal of the power line 144 is arranged in the control box 141. The motor 11 is also provided with a control line 111, one end of which is electrically connected with the motor 11 and extends to the control box, and the other end is electrically connected with the capacitor 142, the switch 143 and the power lien 144 in the control box 141. In addition, a small hole (not shown) is formed on a side wall of the control box 141, and the power line 144 is passed through the small hole and connected with the control line 111 in the control box 141. To fix the position of the power line 144 in the control box 141, and keep good contact between the power line 144 and the control line 111, a line buckle 1441 can be additionally sleeved on the power line 144, so that the power line is fixed to the control box 141. The size of the line buckle is slightly larger than the diameter of the small hole on the side wall of the control box.

In general, an installation procedure of the electric fan described above is as follows:

-   -   (1) in a production line, firstly the motor 11 is mounted to the         rear net of the shroud 13, and the control line 111 of the motor         11 is pulled out and fixed to the shroud 13;     -   (2) while the motor 11 is mounted, installation of the control         unit is performed in another production line, including mounting         the capacitor 142 and the switch 143 into the control box 144,         and passing the power line 144 through the small hole on the         side wall of the control box and fixing the power line to the         control box;     -   (3) the control box 141 is mounted and fixed to the shroud 13         according to the position of a line port, and the control line         111 is connected with the capacitor 142 and the switch 143 in         the control box 141; and the power line 144 is connected with         the control line 111 in the control box 141; and     -   (4) finally, the blades 12 are connected with the motor 11.

Furthermore, in the procedure of fixing the power line 144 to the control box, firstly the line buckle needs to be sleeved on the power line, the outer diameter of the line buckle being slightly larger than the radius of the small hole on the side wall of the control box, and then the line buckle is forcibly embedded into the small hole on the side wall of the control box by using a pair of tool pliers, thereby achieving the aim of fixing the power line.

However, the structure of the existing electric fan may cause some problems in production. As the control unit and the motor of the electric fan of the prior art are separated structures, when installation is performed, firstly the motor needs to be mounted to the shroud, and after the control line on the motor is pulled out and fixed to the shroud, the control box is mounted to the shroud, and thus in the whole mounting process of the motor and the control box, the shroud needs to be mounted together, and the control box and the control line can not be fixed without the shroud; the procedure is complicated when installation is performed; and the shroud occupies a large area, being unfavorable for production optimization and procedure simplification, and amounting to increasing the time cost in a factory for mass production. In addition, since the power line needs to be fixed to the control box via the line buckle, when the line buckle is crammed into the control box, a very strong force is required to cram the line buckle into the control box, thus consuming much manpower and time, and being unfavorable for increase of production efficiency. In summary, the structure of the existing electric fan causes a complicated procedure, inconvenience and low assembly efficiency in installation, and adds extra time cost. Therefore, the existing electric fan still has much room for improvement.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an electric fan which is simple in structure and easy to mount.

An aspect of the invention relates to an electric fan comprising a motor, a plurality of blades, a shroud and a control unit, wherein the motor is fixedly mounted at the outer side of a rear net of the shroud; the blades are mounted in an accommodating space of the shroud, and are fixedly connected with the motor; the control unit comprises a capacitor, a switch and a power line; and the capacitor, the switch and the power line are electrically connected with the motor respectively, characterized in that the control unit is arranged at the periphery of the motor and forms an integrated structure therewith. Compared with the electric fan of the prior art, the electric fan described herein adopts a design of integrating the control unit and the motor, and the integrated design has the advantages that the procedure of connecting the motor with the control unit does not need to be added in assembly, and the shroud is not relied on for complicated assembly and connection one step after another. It only needs to mount the motor and control unit integrated assembly to the shroud, thereby simplifying installation steps and greatly improving assembly efficiency.

As a further embodiment , a housing is sleeved outside the motor, and the capacitor is fixedly arranged on the housing of the motor. In this embodiment, the capacitor is directly fixed to the motor, so that the installation is simpler, and the space is more compact.

As a further embodiment, the electric fan also comprises a cradle, which is sleeved on the housing of the motor and fixedly connected therewith; and the switch is mounted to the cradle. The components of the control unit are connected with a motor into a whole through the cradle respectively, so that the installation is simpler, and the structure is more compact, and the space is saved.

As a further embodiment, the power line is provided with a line buckle; and the cradle is provided with a bayonet matched with the line buckle, and the power line is clamped on the bayonet of the cradle via the line buckle. Via the line buckle, the power line can be fixed to the cradle, so that the position of the power line can be fixed, and the power line can be kept in good contact with the motor.

As a further embodiment, the line buckle is I-shaped, with clamping slots being formed on the left and right ends thereof respectively; and the bayonet on the cradle is provided with clamping projections matched with the clamping slots, and the clamping projections of the cradle are embedded in the clamping slots of the line buckle. Compared with the traditional crammed-in line buckle, the clamped-in line buckle is adopted in the improvement, and it only needs to clamp the line buckle of the power line into the cradle in installation, to accomplish fixation of the power line, which saves time and labor, and further improves the assembly efficiency of the electric fan.

As a further embodiment, the electric fan also comprises a support bracket arranged underneath the shroud at the outer side thereof. The support bracket can support the electric fan.

As a further embodiment, the support bracket consists of an upper bracket and a lower bracket; and the upper bracket and the lower bracket are detachably connected with each other.

As a further embodiment, the upper bracket has a hollow structure at each end, with an elastic sheet and an bead being arranged inside the end thereof, one end of the elastic sheet being fixed to the inner wall of the bracket, and the bead being arranged at a moving end of the elastic sheet and passed through the outer wall of the bracket; the lower bracket has a hollow structure at each end, with a mounting hole matched with the bead in size being formed on a shell of the end thereof; and the lower bracket is sleeved on the upper bracket, and the bead is passed through the mounting hole. Installation and disassembly of the support bracket are facilitated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and particular embodiments, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a structure diagram of an electric fan of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of a control unit of the electric fan of the prior art shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a structure diagram of an electric fan of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of an installation configuration of a control unit and a motor of the electric fan shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the installation configuration of the control unit and the motor of the electric fan shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an assembly view of a switch of the control unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 a is an installation exploded view of a power line of the control unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 b is an installation effect view of the power line shown in FIG. 7 a;

FIG. 8 a is a section view of a line buckle of the power line and a bayonet of a cradle shown in FIG. 7 a;

FIG. 8 b is an installation effect view of the line buckle of the power line shown in FIG. 7 a;

FIG. 9 is an assembly view of a support bracket 26 of the fan shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 a is an exploded view of upper and lower brackets of the support bracket 26 shown in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 10 b is an installation effect view of the upper and lower brackets of the support bracket 26 shown in FIG. 10 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a structure diagram of an embodiment of an electric fan. The electric fan comprises a motor 21, a plurality of blades 22, a shroud 23, a control unit 24, a cradle 25 and a support bracket 26. The motor 21 is fixedly mounted at the outer side of a rear net of the shroud 23. The blades 22 are mounted in an accommodating space of the shroud 23, and the blades 22 are fixedly connected with the motor 21 and driven by the motor 21 to rotate. The cradle 25 is sleeved on the motor 21 and fixed thereto. The control unit 24 is arranged at the periphery of the motor 21 and electrically connected therewith to form an integrated structure. The support bracket 26 is arranged underneath the shroud 23 at the outer side thereof and is connected therewith.

Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5 at the same time, wherein FIG. 4 is a front view of an installation configuration of the control unit 24 and the motor 21 of the electric fan shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a rear view of an installation configuration of the control unit and the motor of the electric fan shown in FIG. 3. The control unit 24 comprises a capacitor 241, a switch 242 and a power line 243. The motor 21 comprises a stator, a rotor and a housing. The capacitor 241 is fixed to the housing of the motor 21 and electrically connected with the motor 21. The switch 242 is mounted to the cradle 25 and electrically connected with the motor 21; and in the embodiment, the switch 242 is a knob switch, which can also be changed to a toggle switch, a pull switch, a key switch or switches in other forms. Please refer to FIG. 6, which is an assembly view of the switch of the control unit shown in FIG. 4. The switch 242 is embedded into the cradle 25. Further, the power line 243 is fixed to the cradle 25 via a line buckle 2431, and is electrically connected with the motor 21.

Please refer to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, wherein FIG. 7 a is an installation exploded view of the power line of the control unit shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 b is an installation effect view of the power line shown in FIG. 7 a. An input terminal of the power line 243 is connected with an alternating current power supply, and an output terminal thereof is connected with the motor 21. The power line 243 is provided with a line buckle 2431. FIG. 8 a is section view of the line buckle of the power line and a bayonet of the cradle shown in FIG. 7 a, and FIG. 8 b is an installation effect view of the line buckle of the power line shown in FIG. 7 a. The line buckle 2431 is I-shaped, with clamping slots 2432 being formed on the left and right ends thereof respectively. The cradle 25 is provided with the bayonet 251 matched with the line buckle 2431, and the bayonet 251 is provided with clamping projections 2511 matched with the clamping slots 2432 of the line buckle 2431; and the clamping slots 2432 of the line buckle 2431 and the clamping projections 2511 of the bayonet 251 are in a concave-convex configuration. When the line buckle 2431 is inserted into the bayonet 251, the power line 253 can be easily fixed to the cradle 25 through clamped engagement between the clamping slots 2432 of the line buckle 2431 and the clamping projections 2511 of the bayonet 251, to avoid displacement thereof. In this case, the line buckle 2431 is formed along with production of the electric line, and does not need to be additionally provided, so the installation procedure is also simplified.

Please refer to FIG. 9, which is an assembly view of the support bracket 26 of the fan shown in FIG. 3. The support bracket 26 comprises an upper bracket 261 and a lower bracket 262, and the upper bracket 261 and the lower bracket 262 are connected to form the whole support bracket 26. The upper bracket 261 has a left segment and a right segment, the upper ends of which are relatively fixedly connected with the outer side of the shroud 23 respectively, so that the shroud 23, supported by the support bracket 26, can perform relative rotation, to change the blowing direction of the fan. Please refer to FIG. 10 a, which is an exploded view of upper and lower brackets of the support bracket 26 shown in FIG. 9. At each lower end of the upper bracket 261 is formed a hollow column with an elastic sheet 2611 fixedly provided therein. At a moving end of the elastic sheet is fixedly provided a bead 2612. On a shell of the lower end of the upper bracket 261 is provided a small hole matched with the bead 2612 in size and position. Therefore, due to elasticity of the elastic sheet 2611, the bead 2612 is passed through the small hole to the shell of the lower end of the upper bracket 261; and the bead 2612, when being under pressure, can be compressed to the interior of the column. The lower bracket 262 comprises support sections 2621 and a connecting section 2622. Each support section 2621 is flush with the ground, with a bend angle formed in the middle, to form a structure supporting the fan. The ends of the connecting section 2622 are connected with the lower ends of the upper bracket 261, and at the ends of the connecting section 2622 are formed hollow columns, the diameter of which is slightly larger than that of the lower ends of the upper bracket 261, so that the connecting section 2622 can be sleeved on the lower ends of the upper bracket 261 and in clearance fit thereto. At the end of the connecting section 2622 is also provided a mounting hole, the size of which is matched with that of the bead on the upper bracket 261. In installation of the support bracket 26, the bead 2612 is pressed down, and the mounting hole of the lower bracket 262 is aligned with the position of the bead 2612 to sleeve the lower bracket 262 on the upper bracket 261. In the sleeving process, the bead 2612 is passed through the mounting hole of the lower bracket 262, so that the upper and lower brackets can be fixedly connected with each other, thus forming the support bracket 26 of the fan by fixed connection of the upper and lower brackets, as shown in FIG. 10 b.

The assembly steps of the electric fan are as follows:

-   -   (1) The cradle is fixedly connected with the motor;     -   (2) Firstly the capacitor is electrically connected with the         motor, and then the capacitor is fixedly mounted to the motor;     -   (3) Firstly the switch is electrically connected with the motor,         and then the switch is fixed to the cradle;     -   (4) Firstly the power line is electrically connected with the         motor, and then the power line is fixed to the cradle via the         line buckle;     -   (5) The integrated assembly of the control unit and the motor is         mounted to the rear net of the shroud;     -   (6) The blades are mounted to the motor; and (7) The support         bracket is mounted to the shroud.

Compared with the prior art, embodiments of the electric fan adopts the structural design of integrating the control unit and the motor, and brings great convenience in the production process. In the production process, firstly the components of the control unit are connected with the motor, and then the integrated assembly is mounted to the rear net, without relying on the shroud for complicated assembly and connection step by step, so that the assembly procedure is simpler, easier to operate, convenient and quick, the efficiency of assembly is greatly improved and the space for production is saved. Meanwhile, compared with traditional separated design, such a design of integrating the control unit and the motor is more compact in structure, and saves space and manufacturing materials. In addition, the power line of the electric fan adopts a clamped-in line buckle design, so that the mounting process is simpler, time-saving and labor-saving, and the efficiency of assembling the electric fan is further improved. The support bracket consists of an upper bracket and a lower bracket; and the upper bracket and the lower bracket are detachably connected with each other. When the lower bracket is not needed, for example when the fan is to be mounted to the wall, the lower bracket can be detached, so the range of use and convenience of the fan are increased.

Described above is only preferred implementation ways of embodiments of the present invention, and it should be noted that the above preferred implementation ways should not be considered as limiting the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is only defined by the claims. A number of improvements and modifications can also be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications are also intended to be encompassed by the protection scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electric fan, comprising: a motor, a plurality of blades, a shroud, and a control unit, wherein the motor is fixedly mounted at an outer side of a rear net of the shroud; wherein the plurality of blades are mounted in an accommodating space of the shroud, and are fixedly connected with the motor; wherein the control unit comprises a capacitor, a switch and a power line, the capacitor, the switch and the power line being electrically connected with the motor respectively, wherein the control unit is arranged at a periphery of the motor and forms an integrated structure therewith.
 2. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein a housing is sleeved outside the motor, and the capacitor is fixedly arranged on the housing of the motor.
 3. The electric fan according to claim 2, wherein the electric fan also comprises a cradle, which is sleeved on the housing of the motor and fixedly connected therewith, and the switch is mounted to the cradle.
 4. The electric fan according to claim 3, wherein the power line is fixed to the cradle.
 5. The electric fan according to claim 4, wherein the power line is provided with a line buckle, and the cradle is provided with a bayonet matched with the line buckle, and the power line is clamped on the bayonet of the cradle via the line buckle.
 6. The electric fan according to claim 5, wherein the line buckle is I-shaped, with a plurality of clamping slots being formed on a left and a right end thereof respectively; further wherein the bayonet on the cradle is provided with a plurality of clamping projections matched with the plurality of clamping slots, and the plurality of clamping projections of the cradle are embedded in the plurality of clamping slots of the line buckle.
 7. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein the electric fan also comprises a support bracket arranged underneath the shroud at the outer side thereof.
 8. The electric fan according to claim 7, wherein the support bracket consists of an upper bracket and a lower bracket, and the upper bracket and the lower bracket are detachably connected with each other.
 9. The electric fan according to claim 8, wherein the upper bracket has a hollow structure at each end, with an elastic sheet and a bead being arranged inside the end thereof, one end of the elastic sheet being fixed to an inner wall of the bracket, and the bead being arranged at a moving end of the elastic sheet and passed through an outer wall of the bracket; the lower bracket has a hollow structure at each end, with a mounting hole matched with the bead in size being formed on a shell of the end thereof; and the lower bracket is sleeved on the upper bracket, and the bead is passed through the mounting hole. 